All Alone with a Demon Rising
by DetoxAngel
Summary: It's Naruto's birthday and as usual, nobody knows or cares... and this time he's sick of it. Co-authored with Black Butterfly13. Reviews make me work faster. If you've read this already, CH.8 is up, this is where I step in, the rest is credited to BB13.
1. Alone on my Birthday

All alone with a Demon Rising

All alone with a Demon Rising

I don't own Naruto but I sure wish I did. The story idea comes from SugarSnikes Songfic Happy birthday to Me1 I have asked permission to use her ideas! Thanks SugarSnike!

Tick-tock tick-tock

A clock ticks in a bare room. A boy is sitting on the bed. All alone.

Chime! Chime!

The clock chimes but the boy doesn't move. He's just staring at nothing.

Tick-tock tick-tock

Had nobody known? Had anyone remembered? Looking out the window he saw lanterns lighting up the night sky like dragonflies. He could hear laughter ringing in the streets. Smells of ramen and ongiri wafted through the open window with the sweet smell of cherry blossoms carried by a cool fall's night wind. But he didn't care. Not now. Not then.

How could they? Just forget?? How many times had he mentioned this day??

How many hours would he patiently wait??

Chime! Chime!

11:00 had come yet the festivities failed to cease. He was over being upset. He was now angry!

He had waiting since dawn! Waiting for some one any one to acknowledge him. Any one to mention what he had waited for expecting something from some one!

Anger boiled out! He would show them! He would show them! He was not a "dumb

little demon boy! No one cared about the boy who was chose to hold the kyuubi when today was the day the kyuubi had been sealed!

He would give them something to celebrate. Uzamaki Naruto began to glow with orange. The demon began to take over. Naruto's last human thought was anger as he stormed out of his apartment and to where the festivities were located.

After all he had done for the Leaf village! How he had loved this village1 He protected it with his blood. He used to think he'd die for this damn village! After how many lives he saved; or how many people he had helped. No one had come to say happy birthday!


	2. Festivities

All alone with A demon Rising

All alone with A demon Rising

I don't own Naruto...Thank again for all those who favorited/put this on alert...And remember. The basic idea of this comes from Sugar S

He lost it. Completely lost it. The demon had taken over and it wasn't going to recede back into nothingness. Back into that hell hole inside Uzamaki. No. He was going to take revenge.

Not saying he had taken a liking to the boy. Sure, he wouldn't give a care if he had died but with nothing to do to amuse himself the demon watched Naruto's life. But the boy was completely oblivious to that girls love but... who was pure. More so than the demon himself any ways.

But this wasn't about the kid. It was about him. And causing all the pain he could to get Konoha back. To revenge Konoha for reducing him to nothing.

For those few who saw Naruto storming towards the festive, they'd say he was just a normal kid going to the festive to see his Mom.

They'd be wrong for 2 reasons...for one Naruto wasn't a normal kid at that time. And he never will be.

And two- he sure as hell wasn't going to the festivities to see his mom. He didn't even have a mom!

But that's what they'd all say.

At the festival the party was raging. All the ninja's were there to celebrate.

Choji, Kiba and Akamaru were by...you guessed it! The food table...

Ino, Sakura, Hinata, and Tenten were gossiping by the bonfire. Or more so, Ino, Sakura, and Tenten were gossiping. Hinata was just standing with them wondering where Naruto-kun was.

Neji was standing near Shino who were both looking up at the stage, amused.

Apparently, some one had made the mistake of letting Lee have Sake (Japanese wine) and the after math was not pretty. Lee, drunk, on stage dancing. Boy was that a sight.

Konohomaru and co. were standing by edge of the festivities waiting for their boss.

And Tsunade and other Jounins were near the stage.

People where just milling aroung having a great time. And thats when Naruto burst in.

Some one screamed one word that would change every body's life for ever. " DEMON!"


	3. Evacuation when the demon arrives

All Alone With a Demon Rising

All Alone With a Demon Rising

Thanx to all who reviewed/favorites !! Hope u guys like it! I don't own Naruto and the main idea comes from Sugar Snike

The word demon itself was not rare at the festivities. I mean, they were celebrating the demons sealing.

Most of the ninja's ignored this and carried on. But not Tsunade. Immediately she stopped yelling at the crowd and scanned the crowd for Naruto.

"Shit!" She didn't see him. This was bad. Very, very bad. Racing over to Neji she quickly asked him to scan the crowd for Naruto using his byakugan.

When Neji reportedly said that he saw Naruto near the edge of the festivities. Konahomaru and Co. Were running up to him.

Tsunade breathed a sigh of relief. He was fine. Nothing to be worried about. Right?

"He looks angry, though. And he's Chakra's erupting out of all hid pores."

Tsunade started running before neji even finished his sentence.

" Kakashi! Jiriyia! Iruka! Kurenia! Guy!" she barked. The other ninja's followed in suit.

"Evacuate!" She ordered and immediately the ninja's started to evacuate towards the mountain.

Shit! Shit! Shit! What was she thinking? How could she have beenm so careless? What the heck was going to happen??

Kakashi new what was happening. Naruto had let the demon out. Shit. This was so bad.

"Sakura!" he said landing next to the group of girls. "Evacuate! Round up the villagers and take them to the mountain. Now!"

" Why Sensei?" She questioned. She sensed the urgency in his voice. But why?

"Sakura. Do what your told. Now." and that's how he left them. Pondering there thoughts.

"We are ninja's now eh? She said. The girls nodded in agreement.

"Well, lets round up every one and take them to the mountains. And then lets stay down here to see what's going on! Round up the other gennin! We got ourselves a mission!".

"Boss? Boss? What's wrong?" Konohamaru asked Naruto.

Naruto was glowing orange and his eyes were blood-shot. His chakra was so strong it was causing a small cyclone picking up trash and papers swirling around him in an orange glow.

"Kid," a deep voice said shaking the ground on which he walked, "go home."

"Boss? Boss?" Konohamaru's voice quivered.

" I said move." and with a flick of his finger at the poor boy he was tossed 50 ft. in the aiur. He landed with a thump and didn't stir.

Ebisu came running and woke up the boy. "Konohamaru! Run! Go to the mountain!!"

With that said he took off running. Ebisu stood up.

" You killed my uncle." He stated. "Now let me kill you!". And he started running to the demon.

With a single punch Ebisu was down.

"You really think that you can stop me? Of all people!!". The voice laughed, a deep, harsh laugh.

" I am here to pay! And pay harshly!".


	4. Realization

1Sorry I haven't updated lately

1Sorry I haven't updated lately...I don't own Naruto. Never will. And please give SugarSnike the main credit for this idea!!

I don't mean to push you but I would like to say I would enjoy getting more reviews. But that's all. The most important thing u can do is read! -BB13

Shit. Shit. Shit.

This was bad. More than bad it was hell. They were reliving the day of the demon almost 13 years later.

Kakashi zoomed around rounding people up like sheep. Guy followed in suit along with the other Jounin. With the spreading panic no one noticed the ninjas sneaking to the edge of the festivities to watch. Sakura Tenten and Ino had managed to gather all the other teams to watch.

Unnoticed Hinata had snuck to the edge of the festivities and had activated her byukagan. With growing horror she watched Naruto take out Ebisu with a flick of his wrist.

He had so much power! And yet she knew it was him. But why? And how? What about the chakra?

And suddenly she saw it. Naruto's shirt had been shredded. There on his stomach was a seal.

And then it clicked. Naruto had the demon sealed inside him.

Hinata ran back to Sakura the others. Her heart was pounding. Her head was screaming. But she was numb with fear.

Puzzle pieces clicked simultaneously. Her heart denied it but her logic was refining it. It put the puzzle together out of a million pieces. The award: sheer horror.

She arrived to the group looking sickly. Her stutter had been driven away by fear.

Looking at Hinata with a questioned look she asked the sickly-looking girl what was wrong.

"Naruto...demon...attacked..." and with everyone questioning her words of such great importance she fainted.

That's when it happened. The full force of all that chakra hit them. It was Naruto's.

And it was the demons.


	5. Feelings before a war

1Sorry

1Sorry...I haven't updated lately. Oops! My bad! But maybe I don't feel encouraged enough with only 4 reviews? Who knows?

Please! For Gods Sake! I do not own Naruto. Never will. And If you haven't caught on by now the main idea comes from SugarSnikes songfic Happy Birthday to me. I asked to use it!

Thanks to the four of those who reviewed! You! And You alone! Are the cause of me sitting t my computer typing now.

All Alone with A demon Rising

It was like a scene out of a team-super heroes movie. The team of ninja's stood in front of the demon blocking the way past. They were ready for a fight. All the team leaders were here. Many anbu were. The Hokage was too. Not to mention every able bodies ninja even some of our favorite heroes parents.

Unnoticed several gennin (and one chounin) were hiding under a table. And quivering like there was no tomorrow. Who knows? For them there might not.

Sakura was...astonished .Most of them were. BUT she was also scared. Her Grandma often mentioned that day. And she didn't mention it kindly. She cursed the demon with every word she knew. And so had Sakura. But to know that she had hated Naruto...

Sure there relation ship wasn't best. Bubt that was because of Sasuke! Now that he was gone...Sakura had found her self disliking Naruto less and less.

Hinata by this time had awoken. She cried in numb silence. Her love? Was this? How? Her feelings were mixture of fear and...confusion. Did she still love Naruto-kun? Now that he held the demon? (Key word...Held. Not WAS)

Kiba was not himself. Akamaru was literally shaking in his skin. The pup sensed great danger in this guy . But kiba was confused. Naruto was the demon?? His fellow troublemaker!

Shino was...Shino. But even he had a nagging doubt of that he would survive this night.

Choji had stopped eating and was visibly shocked. No he did not hate Naruto. Never had. Naruto wasn't like Shikamaru. But he was a cool kid. Choji during the chuunin exams had admired him. And after nearly being lost Choji took his friends with honor. No. He wasn't mad. He was just shocked. And worried. Naruto wasn't the demon was his thought. And naruto wasn't dangerous. But the demon was.

Ino was gasping her mouth open in shock Never in a million years would she have thought. Sure she knew Naruto was different but...

Shikamaru was calm but he was thinking. Unlike every one else he had already known and had been sworn not to tell. You would have to be daft to not know the signs. But he bhad never thought that this could happen. What about the seal.

Neji had always knew Naruto had something inside of him. How else could he have beat Neji? But this...this was extreme!

Rock Lee was stuttering. He was shocked and confused. Very confused.

Tenten was scared. The weapon mistress had heard about the demon. Even she couldn't stop the demon.

And as the gennin were lost in fought a war throughout history known as "The 2nd Demon"

began.

It would last for a week. Many would die. Few survived to tell others about it. And many others countries participated.

It was a war of a life time. And it had started with a boy named Uzamaki's birthday.

( I will continue this. IT IS NOT over)


	6. What to do

All Alone with a Demon Rising

All Alone with a Demon Rising

Hey guys! Sorry for long wait. Was visiting relatives who had no computer. Umm...thanks to all who reviewed or alerted.

I do have a favor to ask. Does anyone know a beta I can use?? My comma key is broken and I spell/type like . Thank you!

I don't own Naruto. Won't. And the main idea of this comes from SugarSnikes Happy Birthday to me which Is a songfic.

New plan...I would like 3 reviews for a chapter. Like. I can live with one. No push. But if you like it say so. I know a lot of you all got me on your alerts and stuff. Thank you!

Let the fight begin!

A boy against 50 grown ninjas. Not a problem right? Wrong.

Because this boy wasn't a boy no more. He was a demon.

The festival tables had been forgotten. The grounds had been evacuated. The gennin were still hiding under th table. The had hired Neji to tell them what was going on with his byukagen.

But lets forget them.

A battle is about to take place.

Headed by Tsunade the troop was blocking the way into the center of town. The demon was aproaching slowly only 500 yards away. Beads of sweat appeared on there foreheads. Many knew they wouldn't survive this battle. Most knew that they probably wouldn't survive the night.

Compared to the other demons Kyuubi was king. No he was a god. A god of evil.

This was bad.

Tsunade was freaking out. Badly. Naruto...he has been able to use this demons power but...Naruto wasn't there anymore. It was all demon. Reliving this battle 13 years later...13 was unlucky.

Shit.

Tsunade was for the first time in a long time scared.

Kakashi out of sight quicky summoned his dogs. Quickly telling them the situation he sent them to the Sand. They needed back ups. And fast.

"Shizune!" barked Tsunade.

"Hai Hokage-sama?" Shizune was quivering. Demon...Naruto-kun...it was all too much to bear.

" Take a medical team and set up in the hospital. I have just been informed that Kakashi has sent for backup from Sand. They will most likely bring medic nins with them. Until then use what you've got at the hospital and rope in some Genin."

"Hai!"

Shizune turned and went to gather the medics. Stopping suddenly she turned around. A tear dropped from her eye. "Good luck Hokage-sama." she whispered at the shouting Hokage. And then she left, leaving a trail of tears.

"Everyone! Listen up!" Iruka shouted into the cavern where the poopulation of konoha was hiding.

"We have been attacked by the kyuubi!" gasps erupted from the room. Many started crying. Others fainted in numb-shock.

"Konaha is no longer safe! We are sending you up North for a while. This battle...is too dangerous for you to be here.".

Several anbu (who have not been named) stepped forward.

"These ninjas will be your guide" Iruka continued indicating the ninjas.

"Go!" He shouted.

Witth much crying the people of Konoha were led out of the Cavern and intp the dar4kness of night..

Appernetly Kakashi's dogs had done the trick. The sand-nin would arrive in a little more than 2 days time.

Anbu were also appearing. A feeling of dread settled over all of konaha. No one knew what was to happen next.

The group of Genin had to talk.

"Whats going to happen?" A furious Tenten asked. Her parents were with Tsunade.

"Most likely" Shikamaru answered "is that some one will have to repeat what the fourth did long ago. That some one will probably be Hokage- Sama."

The gennin looked torn. Their parents or the hokage?

"Unfortunately" Shikamaru continued in a way softer voice then usual "in the best case scenario" he gulped." Naruto dies."

And at that moment Hell broke loose.


	7. Gaara's here

Alone With a Demon Rising)

Alone With a Demon Rising)

I don't own Naruto. I would like to, but I don't. And as I have mentioned numerous times the main idea comes from SugarSnike's songfic Happy Birthday to Me.

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. My computer wouldn't let me upload the lazy thing. Anyhow, I am STILL looking for a beta. It would help me upload A LOT faster.

On to Chapter 7!

The demon lord had decided to attack. Anbu and jounin (sp?) alike swarmed the monestrous fox. With a single breath from the king demon, flames engulfed the front lines. Shrieks of pain were heard as the men and women died an horrible death.

Heat was everywhere. Sweat poured from heads filled with bravery and strength. The stench of death was not here yet, but it would be soon. Some one, most defiantly a ninja, created a mask of fog to try and slow down the demon. It didn't work.

Tsunade scanned the area through the fog, trying to think of a battle strategy that would not require as much death. There was none.

Shikamaru and the gang watched in horror and friends and family rushed at the demon. Most had long forgot about the only way to win was to have Naruto die, and most likely the Hokage, too. Many of them wondered with aching hearts why this had happened. What had they done?

"I would have been nicer to him if I had known..." Sakura murmured aloud, tears stinging her eyes.

"So would have I." Ino agreed, thinking of her mother and father on the battle field. " I'd also help him to pick out better clothes."

"I wouldn't of pranked him." Kiba said. As a second thought he added "As much."

"I would have shared some of my chips with him, even the BBQ kind." Chouji said wistfully, thinking about how he might not live to eat them again.

"I would have taught him better weapon techniques. His sucked.." Tenten thought.

"I would have taught him to ENJOY THE FLAME OF YOUTH AND TO LEARN BETTER TAIJUSTSU SO HE WOULD EXCEL!" cried a certain ninja dressed in green.

Neji just hmmph'd when his turn came but all could see him rubbed his headband where his seal was placed.

"I...I...I would...have...um...told...Naruto-kun...that...I...um..liked...him..." Hinata stuttered, surprised that everybody already knew.

"I might have helped the idiot with his homework. Maybe. But it would be troublesome." Shikamaru said. He knew that Naruta was the container, but never in his dreams did he imagine the seal weakening.

"I already knew." Said a voice from behind. "And now I am going to save Konaha's butt for him."

Several gasps were emitted as the group turned around to see the Kazekage of the Sand with his siblings standing before them.

Gaara was here.


	8. Forget me not

Several gasps were emitted as the group turned around to see the Kazekage of the Sand with his siblings standing before them

DetoxAngel: Heyo people! Chapter Eight has arrived! Also, which pairing would everyone like to see? SasuNaru…HinaNaru…something maybe het? Let us, me and the wonderful BlackButterFly know!

Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me, he and all of his friends and foes belong to Masashi Kishimoto-sama. Sigh…though it would be nice…

Several gasps were emitted as the group turned around to see the Kazekage of the Sand with his siblings standing before them.

Gaara was here.

* * *

The Kazekage slowly looked around, ignoring the shocked underlings around him. He didn't care about them, what he was looking for…..

A loud roar and the crashing boom of something heavy and enormous hitting the ground brought his teal eyes to the source of the sound.

There was what he was looking for.

Turning back to the people sobbing and staring around him, he glared coldly in disdain at the ones Naruto called friends. Some of them he knew, others he was just seeing for the first time. He hated them all.

"G-Gaara…is that….is that Naruto?" Kankuro stuttered staring up in the sky where a cloud of black and red hovered over the center of Konoha and below it a shadow of the distinct shape of evil. No, Kankuro shook his head. Naruto and Gaara were….different. This…this monster…

"Kankuro, gather up all these worthless shinobi and get them past Naruto while I distract the fox. Temari, back up the Konoha Jounin." Kiba glared murderously at the redhead. How dare that twerp! He wasn't worthless!

The siblings nodded and headed off, worried for the younger brother's safety more than the mission they were assigned. But they had to listen to Gaara. He was the Kazekage and he was scary.

Gaara could feel the familiar stench of destruction and rage in the air and unconsciously inhaled it, sighing to himself and fingering the strap of his gourd. Something stirred inside of him like a ceramic spinning wheel, hot and rotating in his gut, hazy and distracting in his head. Shukaku. When then raccoon demon wanted to show its excitement for chaos and pain, it liked to let him know just where it was and how much it wanted to come out. Gaara wasn't so sure how his control might fare with the sort of catastrophic ruin that was currently being waged by its nine-tailed counterpart, but since earlier in the day there had been an insistent tugging in his head that started off steady and annoying and as the hours passed it became impossible to ignore. He tried not to look crazy as he all but stormed out of his Kazekage's quarters to summon his siblings for a mission in Konoha. They were confused, but he had 'that look' in his eyes and they didn't dare question him any further. After all, it wasn't like he planned to come to Konoha, more like he had been drawn there.

So that was what Kyuubi looked like. In his head, during his little struggle in his quarters with the desires of Shukaku to see its nine-tailed demon lord, he had only gotten glimpses and flickers of what he was being attracted to. A shadow of gapingly large teeth, red blazing eyes similar to what he had seen when Naruto was agitated, and red fur. Yet up close it seemed like the images in his mind were very tiny, disproportionately drawn pictures of what the fox really looked like. From 334 feet away, the teeth were dozens of times bigger and the eyes were also several times more intimidating than he had originally expected. It was terribly frightening. Not even Shukaku's nightmarish yellow orbs, which had haunted him his entire life, were as harrowing as the shining crimson eyes of this demon. Gaara would have shuddered if he had the feeling in him. Instead, he clutched the strap of his gourd tighter.

What he told Temari and Kankuro may have been more of an exaggeration than he thought. He thought it was possible to distract Kyuubi before he had laid eyes on it's form in its entirety but now he was sure the monster could kill him and not even realize it with one gigantic step of it's massive paw or one whip of it's many tails. How was he supposed to distract something more than one hundred times his size and thousands of times his weight?

Well, Gaara thought with his dark scowl, Shukaku had better known what he brought him to Konoha for, because if it were up to him he would have stayed in Suna and let the fox decimate the Hidden Leaf village. He wasn't there because he cared for the people there, and he sure as hell did not care for Konoha's diplomatic ties with the Sand village, as he really didn't like the idea of Suna becoming a mirror of Konoha. He tried to submit to protecting his people for the grace and respect of his siblings so that he may have a chance to change some of the things that had made him into what he was, but he found it increasingly difficult to meet the demands of the kind of people he hated. The worthless, foolish shinobi that made up Konoha. The people that created the catastrophe they now tried to escape from. The people who had turned Naruto into….that thing.

The incessant pulling in his head had intensified the closer he got to the Kyuubi, almost to the point of physical pain, it surrounded his mind like slow-burning insanity, and he wanted to drop to his knees and scream out in frustration but certain things just couldn't be done in the middle of a death field.

So he opted for calmly walking past howling, dying, charging ninja and civilians, around the perimeter of the district the farthest away from the powerful demon, who wasn't doing much of anything but swinging its tails and roaring fire. Anyone unlucky enough to be in the way was incinerated. Jounin and ANBU rushed to the front line to be of any use they could, not knowing, or not comprehending that their efforts were useless and suicidal.

Gaara didn't know what he was doing or what Shukaku dragged him there for, but as long as he had control, the one-tailed demon wouldn't let him die if it could help it. If he survived the day it would be the only thing he would ever be grateful to Shukaku for.

"Gaara!" Someone called to him. He turned to see his older brother running up to him with several of the ninja in tow.

"These ninja refuse to find refuge, I can't help anyone that doesn't want to be helped."

Kiba, Neji, Shikamaru, Lee, TenTen, Hinata, Sakura, Shino, Sasuke, Ino, and Chouji stood behind Kankuro defiantly, glaring at Gaara with determination in their eyes.

"We would never leave a fellow shinobi behind! It may be your way to let everybody around you die, but around here it's different. Naruto may be that thing but it's our duty to bring him back to the way he was. We'll risk our lives to save him!" The loudmouth dog-boy yelled and the others nodded with him. Hinata put an unsure hand to her mouth and said in a clear voice, "Hokage-sama wishes for us to save him and I…I lo…"

The Hokage was a fool. What kind of leader sent their people out to a death like that? With a monster like that on the loose, there was no shortage of horrible ways for people to die. At least Gaara had chosen to be the one to distract the beast. He would have never sent his siblings to do that.

"I don't care. If they want to die then that's their business. I don't even know why I'm here."

"Well then what the heck are we supposed to do?!" Kankuro cried hopelessly. Gaara had never seen him so afraid before. Or maybe he had….

"There's nothing we can do to save this village Gaara! I'm going to get Temari and we're leaving and if I have to drag you back myself I will."

"No." Gaara growled. He had meant for it to sound flat and final, like his voice normally was, but it came out strange and animalistic as if it belonged to someone else. It came out wrong. Kankuro stepped back warily.

"Look Gaara, all I'm saying is that we should retreat for the time being, until we come up with a plan that could work. For all we know after that thing is finished here, it could come for us. It won't stop until everything around it is destroyed! You must know what that's like, I mean you…" The puppeteer cut himself off and covered his mouth with both hands, his eyes frighteningly wide. Dear Kami, he hadn't meant to say that.

His younger brother gave him a look. A look that might have been shock. A look that might have been anger. A look that might have been hurt. But Gaara had long since forgotten what those feelings were. And his eyes were turning yellow.

"Oh shit…Gaara I'm s--

"SHUT UP!" Came the sudden furious yell that made everyone jump. The yell was inhumanly shaky in timbre and much too throaty to be Gaara's.

Shikamaru's face went from slack and bored to alert and mistrusting. He remembered that time in the hospital in Lee's room with Naruto. How dangerous Gaara had looked and sounded. Just like right then. The gravelly, throaty voice that bordered on a growl, the tightening of his face, the eyes…. Yes, Shikamaru glared at him and fingered his weapons pouch, he was definitely going to have to be careful with this one. It wouldn't do to have two demonic beasts running around.

Gaara shook his head violently, trying to get Shukaku's impulses to shift away from the idea of killing. With enough effort he could keep the raccoon at bay just long enough to regain control. Kankuro looked worriedly at him, more as if he were worried his little brother would kill him than if the boy was losing his mind again.

"I-I'm sorry," Gaara apologized.

Kankuro wanted to tell him that it was okay, but he couldn't. Most of the shinobi behind him had drawn weapons and it was not alright.

Kiba growled and Akamaru stiffened with alert beside him, both eager to attack the redhead but the almost palpable air of tension kept him in his place. He was angry, not stupid.

Gaara looked back over to the destruction and mayhem and gave a resigned sigh. He was there for some reason, it was about time to find out what the reason was.

* * *

"What's happening in Konoha has been old news for all of about three hours. The fires are visible from the Rain country although we don't necessarily know what is going on. What do you think their condition is now, Raikage-sama?"

"Weak at best. Their defense has been waned by the last invasion of the village hidden in the Sound. I'm sure many plots will be made to invade Konoha again if it does survive whatever is going on over there. Our chance may or may not present itself. Currently we have more manpower than Konoha, yet they have some of the most powerful jutsu and clans at their disposal. Our only consolation is that enough damage will be done so that we are able to step in and….clean up, so to speak."

The assistant bowed and smiled under his collar. Things were turning up in their favor a lot lately. With Orochimaru out of the way for the time being, the opportunity to move in on the Leaf Village was looking quite sweet. Compelling as the urge was to go over there and see what was going on, that the sight resembled a day thirteen years ago was the only thing rooting the curiosity in place.

An invasion of Konoha would do the Lightning country a lot of good. What with the Byakugan and the Sharingan, and all of the other unique clans, there was no limit to the power they could reproduce. There wasn't a mass number of bloodlines there, but some of the best have come from the village hidden in the leaves, more than enough incentive to invade. One would be foolish to attack the village and not leave with more casualties than Konoha, but if the Raikage was right, and their defenses were diminished by whatever was going on over there, then ANBU would be sent to survey the damage after the fires ended. Hopefully not all of the bloodline carriers were dead.

"Raikage-sama….if I may pose a suggestion. If we were to aid Konoha to a degree so that their special forces were to survive the attack…would that not increase the likelihood of our desired gain?"

The Raikage might have frowned or smirked or made no expression at all, but the assistant couldn't tell with the dark face covering. The Raikage's eyes couldn't be seen either, but the assistant wasn't sure if he was grateful for this or curious.

"So you are suggesting we risk the lives of our ANBU to make sure our prospects stay alive?"

The assistant gulped silently. He hadn't thought it was such a bad idea. Somehow his master always had a way of making him think he was wrong or foolish.

"Yes, Raikage-sama."

The Raikage suddenly stood and the assistant blanched nervously. Trying to shake the icy cold fear that coiled around his spine was like trying to blink with no eyelids. He was sure his master noticed and took great amusement in it.

"That is a good idea, Buto."

The fear crept back to the border of his unconsciousness like a silent assassin, settling and waiting for another opportunity to make itself known. The assistant would always be afraid of his master, even if the fear didn't always manifest itself in a physical manner. His master knew this.

"You will be going with them. I will only send out four, five including you. That should be enough, that way, if my ANBU die, you die with them." The last few words were hissed in such a way that Buto had the intense urge to break into a cold sweat. He decided then that he was lucky he could not see the leader's face.

* * *

"Tsunade-sama, please don't go! You know it's too dangerous out there! What will the people of Konoha do without you?!"

"That is implying we will survive at all. If I don't fight, there will be nobody to do without me. I will not stay shut up in here like a frightened child. I am the Hokage! I will die for this village and if my people fight I will fight with them. You will hide as best as you can, if you have to, leave the village. If we survive this, Shizune…."

The raven woman closed her eyes and bowed her head.

"…..Konoha will need you."

Tsunade gave her trademark smile and put her arms around her weeping assistant. Shizune sobbed strongly in her arms, shuddering and shaking and begging her master, her savior, her best friend, not to go.

"Naruto needs me now. I know he's in there somewhere. As his big sister, it's my job to save him from the darkness. I….I couldn't save Nawaki and I couldn't save Dan, but I will give my life to save Naruto."

"But…but…"

"Shizune," The Hokage pulled away from her crying friend and looked her in the eye sadly. "We'll probably die anyway. It's better to live with courage than die in fear. I won't die that way. If I die, Shizune Suzuka, I promise you, I won't die afraid and regretful. I'll die knowing that I did all I could to protect you. You have to forgive me for that. Please?"

The dark-haired Jounin shook her head no but told her Hokage that yes, she would forgive her. Tsunade smiled and kissed her forehead.

"You're the best friend I could ever have. Don't think of this as a mission I'm not going to come back from. Think of it as I'm going somewhere you're too good to go. I would not send you where I'm going, I care for you that much. You'll see me again, whether I come back to Konoha or we meet somewhere else, just know that you, Dan, Nawaki, and I will be together one day."

Tsunade backed away. "Goodbye Shizune."

Shizune screamed at the top of her voice, but her master did not stop.

Godaime walked out of the office with her head held high in confidence, though Shizune knew she was afraid. Her Hokage was a strong woman, she knew, but she couldn't help the certain feeling that she would not return.

* * *

When Jiraiya got within 3 miles or the village he could see the red cloud of anguish that hung over Konoha.

"What is this?" He whispered to himself with frightened uncertainty.

The sky was a dark crimson with an occasional cloud of black and orange. Jiraiya was sure it looked much worse up close. Something had—was—happening in the village. Something bad. Something, judging by the familiar anxiety in his chest, sinister. Cursed.

Disturbingly familiar.

He stopped in a tree and leaned one arm against the bark, not sure if he should go further. Something just looked far too familiar. His chakra leapt. His upper lip dotted with sweat, though it was a cold day. His chest tightened. His hands shook.

Naruto.

He realized then why the scene and the distinct nausea felt so real. It was like a harrowing, terrifying look into the past. The Nine-tailed fox had caused the sky to go red like that. If he knew what he thought he knew, then Konoha was in the middle of another war and were more than likely losing. He had to hurry.

He flew through the trees, trying to use as little chakra as possible and focus on getting there as fast as he could. He had initially come to visit his home village with some news for Tsunade that he had found while touring the Wave country, but as he neared his destination he began to have a bad feeling about the dark blot in the sky. At first he thought it was a war going on in the neighboring land and vaguely hoped it had nothing to do with Konoha. Unfortunately the closer he got, the worse the likelihood of Konoha being involved got.

Still, nothing looked as distinctly devastating as the day the Kyuubi attacked the village. The sky was red before the fires even started. The kind of red that struck fear into the heart of the bravest shinobi. The kind of red that promised death.

It could be nothing else but the Nine-tailed fox….or Kami forbid….something worse.

Jiraiya was more than worried. He was scared. He feared for the lives of all of his fellow ninja, he feared for Naruto, but most of all he feared for Tsunade.

Tsunade and Naruto were all he had left and his news pertained to them, more importantly to Naruto. He had been rushing to Konoha to tell her what he found on his journey. Now it didn't look like he would get the chance. He wanted to go faster, but if he wasted any of his chakra, he would be useless. He needed everything he had. Tsunade and the village would have to hold on for just a bit longer.

"I'm coming, Tsunade."

* * *

He could hear their screams. The roaring of fire. The death. Inside, it made him smile. Now every one noticed him. Nobody would forget this day. His birthday. He would reenact the day Konoha was brought its knees. But this time he would finish the job. But they would remember, even in death, they would remember this day.

Behind the enormous golden bars, a blonde teenage boy sat, hugging his arms around his knees, rocking back and forth….with a smile on his face.

Yes, he thought to himself, even as his thoughts echoed out loud. They would never forget again.

It must have been a disaster out there. People must have been running around, burning, dying, crying, screaming, and fighting. It must have been fiery all around. They must have been scared. And he was sure, positive, the Kyuubi must have been enjoying it all.

All they had to do was say, 'Happy Birthday Naruto'. It was so simple. He was easy. He didn't need a party, or even presents. All he wanted was for someone, anyone to wish him a happy birthday. Now they were screaming, dying, and crying and he bet that they wished they had said something sooner. Now they were begging for their lives, and it was all because they couldn't just be nice to him for one day and remember his birthday. What kind of friends were they? How could they not know it was his birthday? He had hinted, subtly, but someone should have known. Nobody paid attention to him, nobody cared. Not even Iruka. Now they would all wish they did. Now they would die for forgetting about him.

He didn't mind that he was now the one inside of the golden bars. He wasn't trapped. The doors were open, the seal was broken. He was free. But he liked it in the darkness, where no one could hurt him. He liked it when Kyuubi took over, it made him feel better than he had in years. Now people feared him. Now he wasn't the deadlast fool people thought he was. Now he was powerful and unstoppable. They would never forget him now. All the names they called him, all the things they did to him, all the birthdays nobody ever acknowledged. Now they were paying for it all. He was going to enjoy their torture and pain, just like they enjoyed his. There would be no more birthdays for them. Plenty for him, but none for them. He would destroy them and go to a place where people liked him and said happy birthday every year. He would be much happier when all of the people in Konoha were dead.

"Naruto!" Somebody called out to him. But he wasn't there. He was in his dark place, where nobody could see him. They would never see him again. He knew what they were trying to do. They were scared so they tried to save themselves by acting like they were his friends. He knew they weren't. They wanted to live. They would do anything not to die. But he didn't care. They should have tried sooner. Three words and they would have lived another year. But no. He had to show them. He had to put them in their place. They thought they were so much better than him. They thought he wasn't worth their time. They were wrong.

"Naruto please stop this! What about your friends?! What about Iruka?!" A deep, but feminine voice cried.

Kyuubi's deadly eyes settled on the source of the desperate voice. And promptly turned the owner into a spot of ash on the ground. Someone screamed. A deep, masculine voice, raspy and winded, but a loud scream. Sarutobi Asuma. The voice must have been Kurenai Yuuhi's. Oh well, Naruto mused. She didn't say happy birthday to him either. He didn't even know her that well. She was better off dead litke the rest of them.

He rocked along, alone in his opened cage in the dark, muttering about how nobody cared and how he'd show them all, when suddenly he could feel a familiar chakra. A that point he had felt many familiar forces and he wouldn't have paid any heed to it but it was such a powerful and familiar aura that he couldn't ignore it. Whatever it was made Kyuubi stop roaring and spitting fire at the villagers.

"What is it Kyuubi-nii?"

The red eyes shifted down to the tiny little person below it. Kyuubi squinted as the figure got larger and out of pure curiosity did he allow it to grow until the chakra turned yellow and fused with the sand.

"Gaara of the Sand." Of course, nobody else had that kind of chakra. That cold charka, the opposite of his own burning energy. The chakra of a demon.

Well, he had to assume that it was Gaara, even though the signal did feel a bit….off.

"Well well, if it isn't Shukaku. Have you come here to bask in the destruction, or is your vessel leading you? You've grown weak in your age."

Naruto didn't know what was going on out there, but that was alright, he was much more content in the darkness, where he could hear everything going on. The darkness held no curiosity, what he heard was all he needed. He didn't care about the look on their faces when they died, or the tears in their eyes when they realized that it was hopeless, or the blind determination in their eyes when they thought they had a chance. He didn't want to see the one place that he once would have died to protect be reduced to ashy spot on the map where the Hidden Leaf Village used to be. Hearing all that was fine with him. Once Kyuubi finished his business with the worthless, he would return and share all the details with him and Naruto could watch the end of Konoha anytime he wanted in his memories like a home movie. All he had to do was listen.

The voice that responded was not screaming, crying, angry, desperate, or fearful. It was gravelly, cold, and familiar.

"I've grown weak? If I could only get this brat to go to sleep, I would have gotten to this place sooner. I'm not here to help you. You're doing fine with all the killing. It's Naruto he's worried about. And out of curiosity, why are you doing this now?"

Kyuubi stomped a villager into a flat patch of flesh and blood before answering. "You know how vessels are, they are too human. He gave me a reason to come out. Far be it from me to let the ridiculousness of that reason prevent me from having a little fun."

People down below were watching the demon with the patch of red hair and a human leg converse with the source of their living nightmare like it was just another day for them. Some of the villagers did not like this, but when they saw the Jounin, Jukin, get crushed they thought better of it and back away behind the few houses that were left more or less in standing condition to listen. Surely Kyuubi knew they were there, but it wasn't as if they could hide when he was ready to deal with them.

"Our containers still maintain some semblance of control over us, what I'm saying is, that you've been out for a while, but I'll tell you what happens to me. I got out of this brat all of two times. Once I'm sure to remember, before I know who your vessel was, and another when I was in the middle of the desert. One of those two times I thought I was actually free. But come to find that my rampage only lasted as long as Gaara's body could handle. Remember, our vessels are not the same size, and so to avoid the certainty of your kit's death, you'll have to hurry up and pour yourself back to wherever you came and heal him before he dies. I'm not doing it for him. If he dies, you know what happens. Maybe your chance will come along again, but in the meantime you should get moving."

It wasn't that Kyuubi did not know this, it was more like he hadn't had freedom in so long, the thought of any complications had slipped his mind, or rather, Naruto's spurring thoughts had gotten him so caught up in the killing that he would have rather not had entertained the thought of having to go back into the blonde's mind. Either way, Shukaku was right, even if half of his logic was humanistic, the sand brat must have allowed him to come out, or had little control in it. Gaara's lapse of control was obviously impulsive and a direct result of Kyuubi, more than likely the boy was awake.

Unfortunately the killing would end for now. Well, Kyuubi always did like to leave a little misery in his wake.

* * *

"You know things are bad when a country goes through two great demon wars in less than twenty years," Orochimaru mused. The boy next to him raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I'd like to think that what I just said can't be taken any other way but literal and distinctly clear. I tried to simplify it for you, but obviously your mind is elsewhere."

The boy with dark eyes grunted, then smirked. If the snake Sannin was being sarcastic, then something terrible must have happened. He was curious to know what.

"Konoha?" He wanted to ask how his sensei had gotten this information without moving from his chair. Fortunately, Orochimaru was exceptionally intuitive.

"I have my ways. Haven't you noticed that nothing gets by me?"

A silent pair of eyes watched in the dimly lit room, not completely inconspicuous, yet not outwardly visible.

"Kabuto, go and get some of those…. Lovely creations of mine and do what you can with them." The younger man nodded obediently, knowing just what his master expected. Before walking out of the room, his dark eyes shifted cautiously from the hidden eyes to his master's. He didn't like it, but he would go anyway.

TBC…..

Finally! I know, it took me thousands of years for this, but hopefully the next update I do won't. Please review, that'd be really nice too.  : )


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